You Are A God With No Followers Nor Enemies, Yet You Still Persist. No God Had Ever Lived Without Worship

You are a god with no followers nor enemies, yet you still persist. No god had ever lived without worship before. The other gods are stumped as to why this is so…until you tell them what you are the god of.

WRITING EXERCISE: Going macro

Sometimes you’re so concerned with the overarching concept of your story that you forget about the small stuff that makes your writing unique. So let’s use a bit of mindfulness and focus on the teeny tiny miniscule details for a mo, shall we? Let’s go MACRO, kids.

Because as tempting as it is to go for the BIG themes and HUGE life experiences and SIGNIFICANT moments and ALL THE DRAMA ALL THE TIME, good writing is really about the stuff we DON’T notice.

Observing the little things.

Taking note of the seemingly day to day stuff and bringing it into focus.

Highlighting the human.

Being mindful of everything you do, everything that’s going on around you.

And using it as writing-fodder.

So. Today (or not necessarily today – but a day when you’re able to try this exercise out) try keeping a little diary of observations. Keep a notebook to hand, or use a notes app on your phone, or send yourself a bunch of random little emails – whatever works for you.

Really tap into everything you do, no matter how mundane, and see if you can note down as many interesting observations as you can.

Observe all your little routines, tics, habits and foibles:

Do you always brush your teeth in the same way?

Do you have a silly little conversation with your dog when you let them out to pee in the morning?

Do you see the same yellow car pass by every day on your way to work?

Do you get antsy if someone else makes your coffee because they never get it the way you like it?

Pay attention to all those mindless tasks you do without thinking:

Look for patterns in the bubble bath

Listen for a beat in the thump of the washing machine

Catalogue the smells, sights and sounds of your commute

Separate out the steps of cooking your dinner

Map your emotions and physical senses throughout the day:

Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed with a cracking headache? Can you describe the feeling?

When did you feel most chilled out?

Most stressed?

What made you laugh and what sound does your laugh make?

What was on your to-do list and how did you feel about it?

Remember: we’re not necessarily looking for Big Meaningful Truths here (though they may emerge). We’re simply making a series of mini observations, any of which could be transferred into your writing as little details that will bring an extra dose of realism to your work.

You may find that some sneaky bit of fundamental human truth will come sashaying in to turn the most innocuous observation into a great big metaphor, and that’s all well and good, but there’s no pressure to make connections, or consider the universe and what it is to be human.

Today, we simply observe. Take notes. Be mindful (ugh). Create a list of senses and moments and potential new ideas. Wallow in the bottomless sinkhole of human existence and the multitudinous amazing, mundane, varied, ridiculous, touching, scary, weird things all around us…

Taking a moment to be mindful and harvest little nuggets of life for your writing is a GREAT habit to get into. You don’t have to note EVERYTHING down, obviously – just get used to pausing, observing, and making note of all the little things that other people might skim over.

Because THAT’S what makes fiction so wonderful – seeing something tiny and innocuous but oh so familiar suddenly pop out of the page. It might be a gesture or a tone of voice or an object or a reaction or a sensory detail. It doesn’t matter how commonplace it may be.

The trick is to discover your own unique way of seeing the world and translating that into words. And like all writing, it takes practice. So start today. Keep an observation diary and see what you notice – and just how many details we miss on a regular basis.

Psst. More writing exercises over here...

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zenith-of-gahhh

3 weeks ago

Achillies playing the lyre for Patroclus for the 100th time and he never gets sick of it

231 notes View Post

zenith-of-gahhh

1 year ago

So, do you like girls or do you like boys? (Ha-ah, ha-ah)

Oh, uhm, I mean, uh, yes?

When my friends ask me 'bout my sexuality

I choke up and joke that the answer's not easy

Like I'm watching a Disney movie and the couple gets it on

But who should I look at, is it Shang or Mulan?

I like boys and girls, but I still don't know why

I couldn't get either one if I really try

I'm switching my preference like an on and off switch

If I had a dime for every crush, I've had I'd be rich

Like boy bi

Girl, hi

New guy

I'm bi?

I cry every time

I try to decide

I guess you're right, I'm bi just without the sexual

I'm too scared to date, so I've just been by myself

Like I'm watching a Disney movie and I slowly start to sweat

Is it Jasmine's dancing or Aladdin's open vest?

Oh, it sucks sometimes to be right in the in-between

I'm too gay for girls, too straight to be a drag queen

I'm just playing, I'm just saying, I'd like to be clear

I don't know what the hell is going on here

And love can be hard

For someone who doesn't know what they want

I'm missing a part

For all of my life got a hole in my heart

And love could be

A winning game to those who are straight, but

I'm perfectly complete

One, two, three

Like boy bi (boy bi)

Girl, hi (girl, hi)

New guy (new guy)

I'm bi? (I'm bi)

I cry (I cry) every time

I try to decide

Boy bi - mad tsai

27 notes View Post

zenith-of-gahhh

1 year ago

Light: You know, I'm starting to regret showing you how that blender works.

L, drinking toast: Why do you say that?

Tumblr Folklore Stories/Blogs Directory/Masterlist

There are so many great Tumblr Blog stories here! But things are best when organized! Here you are! I’m going to use Tumblr Blaze in a couple weeks to spread this to everyone, but if all of you can reblog this to everyone you know, we can spread the joys of Tumblr to EVERYONE!

Credit to https://www.tumblr.com/dannnnnnnnnnnnex/700073427344736256/love-how-tumblr-has-its-own-folk-stories-yeah-the

The God of Arepo (graphic novel 1 / 2 / 3) (ebook)

The Monster of Sentan

The Witch’s Cat

Raise Both Children

Stabby the Roomba (honorable mention)

Cinderella Marries the Prince (comic)

My Arch Nemesis Cynthia

Pirates and Mermaid

Eindred and the Witch

The Demon King

The Cornerwitch